Issei Sagaeva Maniac Date of Birth: 11.06.1949 Country: Japan

Biography of Issei Sagawa

Issei Sagawa, a Japanese student and aspiring writer, gained notoriety and disgust when he committed a gruesome act of cannibalism in Paris, France. Born in Japan, Sagawa was a lover of French culture and history. He pursued his studies at the Sorbonne, where he met and became infatuated with a Dutch student named Renée Hartevelt.

Their shared interests in French poetry and culture brought them closer together, but their romantic idyll was short-lived. On June 11, 1981, tragedy struck as Sagawa shot and killed Hartevelt, later admitting to mutilating her body and consuming parts of it. After storing the remains in his freezer, Sagawa attempted to dispose of them in the Bois de Boulogne but was interrupted by a passing couple.

The police quickly apprehended Sagawa, who confessed to his crime. Despite the gruesome nature of the murder, Sagawa was declared legally insane by French experts and was not punished by the court. His case coincided with the abolition of the death penalty in France, saving him from a severe punishment.

While in prison, Sagawa corresponded with renowned Japanese filmmaker Yuro Kara, expressing his desire for a film to be made about his crime. Kara later wrote a documentary novel titled "Adoration," which received critical acclaim and sold millions of copies in Japan. Sagawa himself wrote a book about his crime titled "In the Fog," which also gained significant attention and sold 400,000 copies.

After being transferred to a psychiatric hospital, Sagawa continued his writing career, penning a book titled "Sagawa's Letter" that received a prestigious literary award in Japan. Despite his heinous acts, Sagawa gained a cult following in Japan, and in 1992, he even hosted a television show where he shared his knowledge of France.

Upon his release from the hospital, Sagawa involved himself in the production of pornographic films that featured cannibalism. His most notable work was a film called "I Want to be Eaten," which depicted him as a maniac pursuing two women with the intention of consuming them. However, in an unexpected turn of events, the women successfully turn the tables on him.

Sagawa later found a fiancée and planned to get married, but the parents of his victim protested, demanding that he be returned to France for trial. His lawyers managed to place Sagawa in a mental hospital, where he continued his studies and research in comparative literature.

More recently, Sagawa has garnered attention for his work on a "Dictionary of Cannibalism," which he claims to be his magnum opus. Despite his disturbing past, Sagawa has become somewhat of a celebrity in Japan, leaving many questioning the societal fascination with him and his crimes.